2013 SEASON

American Night: The Ballad of Juan José
By Richard Montoya
Developed by Culture Clash and Jo Bonney
Directed by Jonathan MosconeMay 29–June 23

Hailed as a “boisterous, rollicking, surreal…journey into American history” by the Mail Tribune during its sold-out run at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Night brings the groundbreaking work of San Francisco’s iconic Culture Clash to Cal Shakes for the very first time. Drawing equally from pop culture and Shakespeare to mint a new kind of history play, writer Richard Montoya has crafted a dangerous—but celebratory—exploration of the immigrant experience that is as heartrending as it is heartbreakingly hilarious.

Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Shana CooperJuly 3–28

Former Cal Shakes Associate Artistic Director Shana Cooper—fresh from her triumphant production of The Unfortunates at Oregon Shakespeare Festival—returns to the Bruns for the first time since her smash-hit The Taming of the Shrew (2011). “Without hesitation,” wrote Lauren Gunderson in The Huffington Post, “I can say that Cal Shakes’ production of Shrew is a lovely, funny, smartly directed production performed with muscle and wit.” You will not want to miss her electrifying the love story to end all love stories.

“Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.” The glittering greatness of Oscar Wilde graces the Bruns stage for the first time since 2008’s An Ideal Husband with this satin-lined skewering of marriage, morals, and “polite” society. Noted director and actor Moore—who portrayed Jon in Ghost Light at Berkeley Rep and OSF—makes his Bay Area directorial debut with Wilde’s lesser-known, but thoroughly brilliant, comic melodrama.

A Winter’s Tale
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Patricia McGregor
Choreographed by Paloma McGregorSeptember 25–October 20

Betrayal, romance, false accusation, exile, hidden identities, humor, magic, and that notorious bear—A Winter’s Tale has everything you could want from Shakespeare, and then some. And when Patricia and Paloma McGregor get their skillful hands on it, you know that you’re in for a “fantastic night of theater that only leaves you wanting more,” as SFist called their smash-hit 2012 production of Spunk, which also received the coveted leaping man from the San Francisco Chronicle.